Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
San Juan (Agenzia Fides) - In Puerto Rico children and youth are being brought up in an environment where economic insecurity has reached alarming levels. Parents of 6 children out of 10 do not have a permanent job and 57% of young people live in families with only one parent, among which 82% are female-headed households.
According to a study released by the Kids Count Data Book and the Local Institute for Child Development (IDJ), about 475 thousand children and young people live in poverty in the Caribbean country, equivalent to 14% of the population of the island. 83% of children live in areas with the highest poverty rates. Moreover the study shows that 47% of grandparents living with grandchildren under 18, take care of their basic needs. The study also shows that poverty in Puerto Rico over the past five years has remained between 57% and 56%. It is also estimated that 38% of adolescents do not complete their high school studies and 45%, 39,000 boys and girls, do not attend primary school. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 14/09/2015)
